


Look at the Stars

by dragonofheaven07



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-05
Updated: 2012-12-05
Packaged: 2017-11-20 08:54:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/583527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonofheaven07/pseuds/dragonofheaven07
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Dick first met Jason, he took him stargazing and taught him the names of the constellations over Gotham... Pre/Post A Death in the Family</p>
            </blockquote>





	Look at the Stars

Jason Todd shuffled along the hilly outskirts of the City of Gotham, past all the skyscrapers, past the honking cars and the barking dogs. He had become so accustomed to the background noise it seemed almost unnatural to be surrounded by such calm.

He kicked a pebble in his path, hands in his jeans pockets, as he followed the narrow dirt road. It was the dead of night, and he could barely see ten feet in front of him, but he carried on as if he knew the area like the back of his hand. He was the newly appointed Robin, after all. Robin wasn’t supposed to be afraid of anything.

Jason stopped short when he came across the one who was waiting for him, sitting cross-legged on a picnic blanket. “Jason, hey! I’m glad you could make it!” he exclaimed, waving enthusiastically. “I was anxious that you wouldn’t be able to find me all the way out here. It gets pretty dark this time of year.”

This was Dick Grayson, Nightwing, the crusader of Blüdhaven. Former Robin. Jason’s predecessor. It was the first time Jason had seen Dick in civilian clothes, and he couldn’t help feeling a little taken aback by his upfront nature. Was this the man that was cleaning up the crime-clogged streets? This happy-go-lucky motor mouth?

“Uh, yeah,” Jason muttered. His instincts were telling him to get the hell out of there, to fabricate some excuse to leave, but he made the effort to stand firm.

Dick patted the space next to him on the blanket. “C’mon, sit down,” he smiled warmly.

Jason reluctantly plopped down, keeping a good distance and leaning away as if the other man was radioactive. “So, what is this all about?” he asked, folding his legs to his chest.

Dick pointed at the sky, “Look up.”

Jason tilted his head back and was at once washed over with a carpet of stars. Thousands—no, tens of thousands, maybe millions, each one blinking in a brilliant white luster against the blackness of the night sky. “Whoa.”

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Jason had to admit, it was pretty incredible.

“You can never really see them that well in the city, with all the smog and lights blocking everything.” Dick grinned. He fell gracefully onto his back, his arms cradling his head. “It’s even more amazing like this.”

Jason followed suit, lowering himself to the ground. He knew Dick was right at once. The perspective now was so much more open, full screen and high definition. “I almost feel like I could go swimming in it,” he mused.

Dick chuckled, “Yeah, me too.” He pointed to a string of stars. “Do you see those over there?”

Jason squinted, “Uh huh.”

“That’s Orion, the Hunter. There’s his belt; it’s connecting his head and feet.” Dick traced the lines in the air. “And that’s Leo, the Lion, from the Hercules legend. It’s kind of like a backwards question mark.”

“I see.”

“And that’s Draco, the Dragon. See, there’s the eyes, and body curves around like this.”

“That’s the North Star, right?” Jason gestured. “The really bright one?”

“Yep, that’s it.” Dick nodded. “And if you’re ever lost, just find it and it’ll direct you home.”

“Yeah, sure.” Jason snickered.

“The North Star is a part of a constellation too, Ursa Minor. It’s the last star on the tail.”

“The Little Dipper?”

“Ah, so you already know?”

“It’s common knowledge.” Jason rolled his eyes.

“Okay, okay.” Dick laughed. “Then you know about Ursa Major, the Big Dipper?”

“Where?” Jason crooked his head.

“Right next to the Little Dipper, there, to the left and sideways.” Dick framed the two groups of stars together with his fingers. “Hera was jealous of Zeus’s affair with Callisto, so she turned her into a bear, dooming her to live in the forest. Zeus’s and Callisto’s son Arcas almost killed Callisto while hunting, but Zeus stepped in and rose her up into the skies to become Ursa Major. Arcas later became the Little Bear, Ursa Minor, reuniting him with his mother.”

Jason shrugged, “Nice story.”

“Fathers are supposed to be protective of their sons. It’s in their nature. Like a big brother, looking out for the little ones.” Dick paused, looking fondly at the wonder still dancing in the new Robin’s eyes. “That’s how I’d like the two of us to act.”

“What?” Jason sat up, unsure of how to respond.

“I just want you to know that I’m here for you, kid. Bruce is here too, but I know from experience how intimidating he can be. If you need advice or an ear to listen, I’ll be there.” Dick playfully ruffled Jason’s hair. “No matter what.”

Jason blinked, fell back onto the blanket to the sea of stars, then genuinely smiled back. “Thanks, Grayson.”

-

Bruce Wayne took one last painful gaze at the mutilated body of the teenager before the lid of the coffin snapped closed. It was too much for him to bear watching it slowly sink into the ground, so instead he turned to focus on his few fellow mourners.

Commissioner Gordon was patting Barbara’s shoulder to comfort her as she silently dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, doubling over in her wheelchair. Even Alfred was visibly shaking, his eyes downcast on the verge of tears.

As the priest said the final blessing, and the final shovelful of dirt was smoothed, the hole that had been gnawing in Bruce’s chest began to quiet. Now the boy was finally at rest. Jason could sleep soundly in heaven.

“I’m sorry,” Gordon whispered to Bruce.

Barbara took off her glasses and nodded somberly.

Bruce returned the nod as the father and daughter exited the graveyard.

“Shall I alert Master Richard, sir?” Alfred asked. “He did dote on the boy.”

“No.” Bruce shook his weary head. “He already knows.”

-

Dick sat hunched over on the roof of the Municipal Building, one the highest spots in Blüdhaven. He hugged his legs to his chest, jittery and cold from the evening rain. He didn’t care if he got wet. He didn’t really care about anything at the moment.

He had been waiting there for quite some time, just waiting for the night sky to clear. And eventually it did, and everything to Dick became still. The world became muted as he looked to the perfection of the stars, reaching through the smokestacks and radio towers.

And there was Ursa Major and Minor, Big and Little Dipper, still bright and shining as if they would never stop. Always there, no matter what.

“Let’s do this again sometime, Robin.”

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

Dick stared at the heavens until the sun began to rise, even as the tears streamed down his cheeks.

“I love you, Jason.”

**Author's Note:**

> Based on my Batfamily Headcanons submission: When Dick first met Jason, he took him stargazing and taught him the names of the constellations over Gotham. Dick wanted to establish a good relationship with the new Robin and assure Jason that he didn’t have any hard feelings about being replaced. Jason was skeptical at first, but ended up having a fun time. After hearing about Jason’s death, Dick spent the night on a rooftop, looking up at the stars.


End file.
